Successful Result in Fatal Driving Prosecution
Ian Anderson spent the week defending a man charged with causing death by dangerous driving at York Crown Court. Following a four day trial the jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty. It was an excellent result in a particularly difficult and tragic case involving two close friends who were involved in a motorbike…
Dangerous Dogs: A Reminder of the Law
Dangerous Dogs: A Reminder of the Law Very sadly, recent media reports have detailed a shocking case in which a woman from Widnes died having been attacked by two dogs. Those keeping dogs may not feel that they need to pay attention to the law in this area, but an awareness of it can go…
Finders Keepers? What Happens When Treasure Is Found
It isn’t often that you see reports of a treasure find, and even rarer that you get more than one in a relatively short space of time. In the latest case, the Church of Scotland is bringing proceedings in relation to a hoard found on its land in 2014. Unlike in the rest of the…
Road Transport Operator Regulations and Public Enquiries
Key in this area is The Road Transport Operator Regulations 2011. These impose stringent requirements upon business in the sector, and understanding how they work is vital. Failure to adhere to the Regulations can place licences in jeopardy. The Regulations, which gave effect to EU legislation passed in 2009, create obligations both for the company…
In Hot Water: Sentencing Companies for Health and Safety offences
The science of sentencing in health and safety cases involving companies came under the microscope recently at the Court of Appeal. Thames Water had been fined in the sum of £2,000,000 following a case at Reading Crown Court in which it had pleaded guilty to an offence relating to the discharge of untreated sewage (an…
Success for Regulatory department in Taxi Licensing case
Amber Walker, a Solicitor in our Regulatory department, recently assisted a client with their successful application for a Private Hire Licence. On occasion, a licensing authority will ask an applicant to explain certain matters such as entries on a DBS check. In this case, Leeds City Council had asked for a clarification of past events…
Court of Appeal Overturns Manslaughter Conviction in Takeaway Case
In October 2018, Mohammed Kuddus, the sole director of Royal Spice, a takeaway in Lancashire, was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter following the death of a customer, 15 year old Megan Lee. When placing their online order, Ms Lee’s friend included the words ‘nuts, prawns’ in the ‘notes’ section. At the time, the order was…
Milkshaking Protestors: How Does The Law Apply To Headlines?
It seems that at the moment, the protest method of choice is to throw a milkshake at a political figure. First there were two occasions in which former EDL leader (and now independent MEP candidate) Tommy Robinson had the drink thrown over him, now we’ve seen one hit Brexit Party head Nigel Farage whilst on…
Upskirting: New Law Comes into Force
The Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019 makes ‘Upskirting’ illegal A new law comes into force today, which criminalises the offence of ‘upskirting.’ The Act has its direct origins in campaigning by Gina Martin, and an experience she underwent whilst at a music festival in Hyde Park. Ms Martin became aware that two men near to her…
Stringing a Sentence Together: How a Defendant is Punished in Practice
In the space of a week, Paul Mitchell went from being an ordinary football spectator to Birmingham City’s most notorious fan. He invaded the pitch on Sunday, landing a blow to the back of the head of Aston Villa player Jack Grealish. His actions have brought him a prison sentence of 14 weeks- but where…